The Dreadrealms

The Dreadrealms


Introduction and History: (95% this was written by Drak and Johnny. I have only edited it in the ways
needed for it to hold consistency with the new lore.)

Ever since the beginning of Oldenland, there have been many races and influences. What one might call 'Good', often took on the form of something righteous, honorable, and selfless. These acts often found homes in the bodies of Paladins, Guardsmen, and any Commoner who did something with pure intentions. But of course, there was always what one might call 'Evil'. Evil takes on many different faces. Most typically, that of Hatred, The will to strike Fear into others, overwhelming jealousy, Unbearable Desire, and the feeling of Greed, that sweeps over us all. These essences of our personality's often come on top of those we consider 'Good'. But most notably, these acts find sanctuary in the forms of 'The Demonkin'.

The Demonkin, can be considered the very source of the corrupting influence of Evil, that spreads across the minds of the people in our world. The Demonkin were created, with one purpose only, and only one desire that kept their black forgery of a heart beating... the desire to cause endless Chaos, to corrupt all who would seek to do justice, and to sow mishaps and discontent into every soul they crossed paths with.

And thus the day came when the demonkin poured from the Burning Hells, eager to finally fulfill their dark purpose in a climactic battle between Good and Evil--A vast war known as the "God's War". However, the day came when the dark armies of Hell were pushed to the brink, the forces of light falling like a tide upon them. These valiant soldiers marched directly to Hell's doors and tore them asunder, killing the Lord of Demons, the Dark Master of Hell--the God, Sylornath.

Upon their great master's death the unity that was forced upon the ever violent realms of Hell was shattered, and hell was engulfed in a Civil War for many years after the God's War. Eventually this vast struggle for dominance ended in a fragile peace, with Hell being split into two different realms, with two victorious lords.

These realms were:

The Dreadrealms:The Dreadrealms became the Realm of Bane, God of Hatred, Tyranny and Fear. The Demons who reside here are what you might call fewer in number, compared to The Demonoculus, but they were more powerful.

Banehold, sometimes called the Barrens of Doom and Despair, or The Dreadrealms, particularly in the past, is an evil-aligned plane of existence. It is one of a number of Outer Planes, one of inhospitable locales, including vast deserts of black sand and huge plains of dark granite. There is no water to be found anywhere on the plane, and no sunlight fills the blood-red sky.

Five deities make their homes here, including Bane (his home was previously referred to as Acheron, or The Realm of the Second Breath), Beshaba, Hoar, Loviatar, and Talona. As these deities make home in Bane's dominion, each of them is in turn subject to his will.

The Dreadrealms consist of a single infinite plane, there are no constituent layers. It links via the Astral Plane to the planes of the Prime Material (such as Aeria) and a number of portals directly connect it with Hammergrim and the Blood Rift. Beshaba's realm, the Blood Tor, links directly to the Dreadrealms.

The Nine Hells: The Nine Hells were seized by The Demonoculus Order, a more vast army of Demonkin. These realms fell under the control of Baator, God of Demons, Slaughter and The Nine Hells.

A peace treaty fell between the two Hells, and Oldenland carried on.The hells have been used to contain the sinful souls of those who served their dark rulers. Many years later, The Dread Legion still grows in power under Bane, and his essences still find their way among mortals.

Originally, the Illefarnians had demons from all the legions of Hell under Sylornath--however, during Bane's conquest of what would eventually become the Dreadrealms, he forcefully dominated the Illefarnian Order, slaughtering or converting those that bonded with demons from the contested realms. Since then, the Illefarnian Order has remained under Bane's total domination, and no Demonoculous based Illefarnians have been known to exist since.
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The Dread Legion


Bane, God of Hatred, Tyranny, and Fear; Ruler of the Dreadrealms:




History of the God:
Bane was once a lesser deity who resided in the Realm of the Second Breath, a subsidiary realm of Greater "Hell". Bane was, along with Baator and several other lesser deities, a direct servant of Sylornath, the creator and lord of Hell. Bane once appeared as as a large male figure, distorted by the grime of war and battle with many scars that had somewhat deformed his face. His skin a dark color of rust, and he was always donned in a horrible full plate armor that contains rough, blunt spikes on the outside. He carried a huge, thick bastard sword, the handle of which looked like a curling dragon. Bane arose to true power during the vast civil war that overtook the realm of hell after the death of Sylornath, who was slain at the end of the God's War. Although he lost his home realm to his rival, Baator, he managed to seize control of nearly half of the contested realm. This vast collection of realms and beings would be later forcefully consolidated into "The Dreadrealms", the dark nexus of Bane's power.

When Bane rose to power, he forged a shaky alliance with Baator, god of Demons.
Information:
Bane is a personification of war and strife, and sinking to any depth in order to snatch victory. The patron deity of conquerors, usurpers and warlords, he is at home both in the battlefield and in politics, and believes that though any victory can be taken over the back of another, faithfulness to the deservant is a highly important trait. Bane is reasonable, and a man of his word, he would not lie.

In the large, powerful nations of Aeria in which it is common practice to take by force that which it wants or needs, most often contain a large number of independent, secret Clergies devoted to Bane. The more manipulative branch of governments might contain advisers that devote to him also. Bane does not prefer temples, being a place of mere worship, but delegates to his subjects the building of imposing dark effigies worthy of his greatness. The 'temples' to his honor are called Cathedrals of War and Conquest and are most often large, serving as congregations for hundreds of worshipers.

Upon Bane's domination of the realms and beings that would later become his Dreadrealms,his appearance willfully shifted-- He became very tall, approximately 8 feet, and wears a black, tattered cloak, black armor underneath it, and hides his head behind a hood and black mask, with empty eye-holes that sometimes turn red with anger, hatred, or fear.
The Dread Legion:

Xantara:

"Violent, uncontrolled, and hard to manipulate. Xantara loves bloodlust, no matter how it will get it, it loves it. Xantara is pure physical ability. It has no magical powers, or spells of any kind. However, Xantara is also the most compatible to be combined with other Illefarnian demons. Its "power color" is a violent red."

Vavrinec:

"Cocky, arrogant, and in-calculative, Vavrinec has the most influence in the Illefarnian society. It might also be the most powerful, but hasn't a clue how to use its full potential. Call it an idiot if you want. Its special ability is that it can turn into water, so when the host body uses Vavrinec, they can easily change a limb or bodypart into water, and change it back soon after. Hardly any physical ability. Its "power color" is a deep purple."

Leonard:

"Powermad, Corrupting, Deceptive and Commanding. Leonard is the most powerful of all Dreadrealm Demons. Not only a Demon, but more specifically, a Demon Lord. It has power over many types of magic, and very advanced telepathy. Its armor is unbreakable, and its mace has enough force to break a sword in half. While it may seem to be solely based in intelligence and magical abilitys, it is also a terrible foe to fight in close quarters. Its ''power color'' is pure black."

Banespawn:

"One of Bane's original legion of elite warriors, who fought with great success during the God's War. Literally walking armor. With the strength of 20 grown men, a Banespawn is the worst enemy you can encounter in a war. However, they are locked in the Dreadrealms, and require advanced rituals to summon. Some say Stygian armor is buried under the soil of Aeria, all over the world, ready to rise and fight"

Archfiend:

"Greater Demons of the Dreadrealms. Archfiends are massive, standing a good 15 to 20 feet in height, with huge wings. Their bodies are wreathed in demonic flames as hot as a lava flow. Archfiends carry several weapons, and command groups of lesser demons. In addition to their physical strength, they are vastly intelligent, and capable of incredible magical feats. A single Archfiend can crush a mortal man into ashes in seconds, and lay waste to whole armies."

Hellhound:

"Hellhounds typically have features such as a large size, black fur, glowing red eyes, or flame-based appearances. They are often associated with fire. They may be assigned to guard the entrances to the Realm, scout areas."

Archspawn:

"An archspawn is a mercenary or guardian of Bane. One is often sent to hunt targets for the Dreadrealms, and to kill them. They are seen at the Gates of the Dreadrealm, protecting it and anything inside. They can be sent with a Hellhound to help them track down and kill targets, as a hunter would with a canine when hunting for game in a forest."